Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,370 concerns a “Tri-Mix Sugar Based Dispensing System.” This patent describes a beverage dispensing system that separates the highly concentrated flavoring from the sweetener and the diluent. This separation allows for the creation of numerous beverage options using several flavor modules and one universal sweetener. One of the objectives described therein is to allow a beverage dispenser to provide as many beverages as may be available on the market in prepackaged bottles or cans. U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,370 is incorporated herein by reference in full.
These separation techniques, however, generally have not been applied to juice dispensers and the like. Rather, juice dispensers typically have a one (1) to one (1) correspondence between the juice concentrate stored in the dispenser and the products dispensed therefrom. As such, consumers generally can only choose from a relatively small number of products given the necessity for a significant amount of storage space for the concentrate. A conventional juice dispenser thus requires a large footprint in order to offer a wide range of different products.
Another issue with known juice dispensers is that the last mouthful of juice in the cup may not be mixed properly such that a large “slug” of undiluted concentrate may remain. This problem may be caused by insufficient agitation of the viscous juice concentrate. The result often may be an unpleasant taste and an unsatisfactory beverage.
Thus, there is a desire for an improved beverage dispenser that may accommodate a wide range of different beverages. Preferably, the beverage dispenser may offer a wide range of juice-based products or other types of beverages within a footprint of a reasonable size. Further, the beverages offered by the beverage dispenser should be properly mixed throughout.